Transit systems warned of backpack bomb plot

TERROR PROBE

P. Solomon Banda and Steven K. Paulson, Associated Press

Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Photo: Jeff Kandyba, AP

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This courtroom drawing shows U.S. Magistrate Judge Craig Shaffer, top, presiding over a hearing in federal court in Denver, on Monday, Sept. 21, 2009, for Najibullah Zazi and his father Mohammad Zazi. Seated at the defense table from left are Mohammad Zazi, Attorney Arthur Folsom, Najibullah Zazi and a unidentified member of the defense team. Counterterrorism officials are warning mass transit systems around the nation to step up patrols because of fears Najibullah Zazi , an Afghanistan-born immigrant under arrest in Colorado may have been plotting to detonate backpack bombs aboard New York City trains. (AP Photo/Jeff Kandby) less

This courtroom drawing shows U.S. Magistrate Judge Craig Shaffer, top, presiding over a hearing in federal court in Denver, on Monday, Sept. 21, 2009, for Najibullah Zazi and his father Mohammad Zazi. Seated ... more

Photo: Jeff Kandyba, AP

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Najibullah Zazi answered the door at the Aurora home where he lives with his parents. He told reporters he has no connection with a terror plot. Karl Gehring, The Denver Post

Najibullah Zazi answered the door at the Aurora home where he lives with his parents. He told reporters he has no connection with a terror plot. Karl Gehring, The Denver Post

Photo: KARL GEHRING, DP

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(EL) KAZI18--Mohammed Zazi, the father of Najibullah Zazi, waves off reporters as he leaves the FBI's Denver headquarters in downtown Denver. Mohammed was asked to meet with the FBI on Friday.RJ Sangosti/ The Denver Post less

(EL) KAZI18--Mohammed Zazi, the father of Najibullah Zazi, waves off reporters as he leaves the FBI's Denver headquarters in downtown Denver. Mohammed was asked to meet with the FBI on Friday.RJ Sangosti/ The ... more

Photo: RJ SANGOSTI, DP

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In this Sept. 17, 2001 photo, Ahmad Wais Afzali, who was arrested over the weekend in connection with an ongoing terror investigation, is seen in New York. Afzali, 37, an imam at a mosque in Queens, was arrested, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009, in New York and along with Najibullah Zazi, 24 and his 53-year-old father Mohammed Wali Zazi who were arrested in Colorado, is accused of making false statements to the government. Investigators said they found notes on bomb-making that appear to match the younger Zazi's handwriting and discovered his fingerprints on materials that could be used to make explosives. Mohammed Zazi and Afzali are accused of lying to FBI agents about calls between Denver and New York. (AP Photo/The New York Times, Michelle V. Agins) ** NEW YORK OUT, WASHINGTON POST AND USA TODAY OUT ** less

In this Sept. 17, 2001 photo, Ahmad Wais Afzali, who was arrested over the weekend in connection with an ongoing terror investigation, is seen in New York. Afzali, 37, an imam at a mosque in Queens, was ... more

Photo: Michelle V. Agins, AP

Transit systems warned of backpack bomb plot

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Counterterrorism officials are warning mass transit systems around the nation to step up patrols because of fears an Afghanistan-born immigrant under arrest in Colorado may have been plotting with others to detonate backpack bombs aboard New York City trains.

Investigators say Najibullah Zazi, a 24-year-old shuttle van driver at the Denver airport, played a direct role in a terror plot that unraveled during a trip to New York City around the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. He made his first court appearance Monday and remained behind bars.

Zazi and two other defendants have not been charged with any terrorism counts, only the relatively minor offense of lying to the government. But the case could grow to include more serious charges as the investigation proceeds.

Zazi has denied being involved in a terror plot, and defense lawyer Arthur Folsom rejected any notion that his client played a crucial role.

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Publicly, law enforcement officials have repeatedly said they are unaware of a specific time or target for any attacks. Privately, officials speaking on condition of anonymity said investigators have worried most about the possible use of backpack bombs on New York City trains, similar to attacks carried out in London and Madrid. The investigation was ongoing to determine Zazi's role and how many others may have been involved.

Backpacks and cell phones were seized last week from apartments in Queens where Zazi visited.

In a bulletin issued Friday, the FBI and Homeland Security Department warned that improvised explosive devices are the most common tactic to blow up railroads and other transit systems overseas. And they noted incidents in which bombs were made with peroxide.

In the bulletin, officials recommended that transit systems conduct random sweeps at terminals and stations and that law enforcement make random patrols and board some trains and buses.

Since 2001, counterterrorism officials have shifted their approach and made the disruption of plots in their early stages a top priority, ahead of amassing incriminating evidence of more serious crimes. The exceptions to the rule are plots infiltrated by informants who are being directed by the FBI every step of the way.

"When plotters are disrupted before their plot becomes concrete, you may end up with something that looks relatively trivial to the legal system, but the truth is you can't judge their efforts by the legal charges they're able to bring," said Pat Rowan, the former head of the Justice Department's National Security Division.

Zazi and his 53-year-old father, Mohammed Wali Zazi, were arrested Saturday in Denver. Ahmad Wais Afzali, 37, was arrested in New York, where he is an imam at a mosque in Queens.

Afzali was ordered held without bail after prosecutors said they believed he might flee if released. Zazi's father could be released Thursday and placed under electronic monitoring at home.

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